Published: October 18, 2008 10:38 pm      

COLLEGE FOOTBALL: UB comes back to beat Army, keeps bowl dream alive

AMHERST — Through the three seasons Turner Gill has been their coach, the Buffalo Bulls have responded well to succinct rally cries.

In the midst of a three-game losing streak capped by last week’s fourth quarter meltdown, Gill turned to Winston Churchill’s wisdom to get his football team ready to battle invading Army.

“We shall never surrender.”

The Bulls didn’t surrender Saturday, nor did they give their opponent a chance to do so. Responding to Churchill’s quote, the Bulls backed themselves into a corner with three quarters of poor play, before showing the resilience their so proud of with a 27-24 overtime win.

An offense that was anemic for nearly three quarters burst into the end zone three times in the last 18 minutes of regulation. A defense that had been gashed by running plays stiffened with the game on the line, and after failing to recover four forced fumbles, finally picked up a loose ball late that led to the game-tying score.

“We never gave in, we never surrendered,” Gill said. “That’s what took us through this whole game, we very easily could have given up or said ‘It’s over’ or ‘Here we go again,’ but I never heard that.”

UB snapped a three-game losing streak to get to 3-4 on the year, and built some momentum heading into a closing stretch with five games against Mid-American Conference East opponents.

In the span of an hour, the Bulls made up for their earlier mistakes, and got some measure of redemption for the last three weeks.

A week ago, UB collapsed in the closing minutes against visiting Western Michigan. Two weeks before that, the Bulls lost at Central Michigan when A.J. Principe’s game-winning field goal try bounced off the goal post.

Principe provided the winning margin Saturday, splitting the uprights from 36 yards out.

But it was Ernest Jackson, the big receiver from Rochester with the sly smile and sprinter’s speed, who was UB’s most important player during the comeback.

Save for a few big plays by Naaman Roosevelt, it was Jackson’s connection with quarterback Drew Willy that saved the Bulls from a terrible loss.

Converting three long third downs and a fourth-and-8 late, and rising between two defenders to haul in the tying touchdown, Jackson caught nine passes for 134 yards, both career highs.

“I love throwing the ball to Ernest,” Willy said. “He had the best week of practice that I’ve ever seen him have. He was truly focused and it showed in the game today. I think everyone saw what kind of playmaker he is. He’s got the skill and he’s got the mindset.”

With the Bulls’ banged-up backfield struggling throughout, Gill put the game in the hands of his savvy senior quarterback. Willy was 19-for-25 for 229 yards and two touchdowns in the second half. In the first two quarters, he completed just six passes for 50 yards.

Trailing 17-3 late in the third quarter, Willy shook off a bad shotgun snap on first down, and pass into the turf on second down, to hit Jackson on a slant for a 32-yard gain — the Bulls’ first big gain of the day. On the very next play, Roosevelt adjusted to an underthrown bomb from Willy, shrugging off pass interference to pick up another 42 yards. Brandon Thermilus plunged in to score from the 1 two plays later.

But the Black Knights countered with an immediate strike — an 81-yard sprint up the middle from fullback Collin Mooney.

The Bulls marched down to score on their next series, converting a fourth down when Willy hit Jackson on another slant, and making it a one-possession game when Willy hit Roosevelt on his back shoulder in the front corner of the end zone.

UB’s first chance to tie the game came up short, on a fourth-and-1 run by Thermilus. But on the very next play, Justin Winters and Davonte Shannon combined to strip Mooney, and Kendric Hawkins, playing in just his second game this season, picked up the ball and raced inside the Army 10, setting up Jackson’s touchdown.

It was the sixth time the Bulls had forced an Army player to put the ball on the turf. Four times, the Black Knights pounced on their own fumble. Hawkins recovered one, and he only other time UB recovered the ball, the officials ruled Army’s Chip Bowden was down.

Army (2-5) gained 320 yards on the ground Saturday, but just 48 after Mooney’s long touchdown. And 19 of those 48 yards came on the play when Mooney fumbled.

An influx of Army fans helped the Bulls draw more than 21,000 fans to their Homecoming game. Officially its the fifth-largest crowd in UB Stadium history. Unofficially, it might be the biggest crowd that ever cheered on the Bulls, as previous records are owed to dubious counting measures and/or popular opposition.

For the third time this season, UB’s fans were treated to a game that went down to the wire. And while less thrilling than last month’s last-gasp pass to beat Temple, Saturday’s win still allowed the Bulls’ wildest fans to rush the field in celebration.

“My heart still works,” Gill joked.

“I like blowouts,” said Willy, drawing more laughter. “But to win the close games, people remember the close games. People remember the legacy you leave.”